Harvard College students with Advanced Standing may apply to be admitted by certain departments to work toward one-year master's programs administered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). Students pursuing this degree remain registered in Harvard College and bracket courses (see below) toward the AM or SM degree. Each department (see participating departments below) sets the requirements for the master's degree.
Successful AB/AM or SM degree candidates receive both their bachelor's and master's degrees at the end of the fourth year. They continue to live in their Houses and register as undergraduates, even though their fourth-year programs are devoted mainly to graduate study.
To apply for the AM or SM degree, students ordinarily must activate their Advanced Standing by the advertised deadline at the end of their second year and demonstrate that they can complete by the end of their four years at Harvard all AB requirements (a minimum of 24 half-courses, including concentration, Core, Expository Writing, and language requirements), as well as the eight half-courses that are required for the AM or SM degree.
Advanced Standing students interested in the fourth-year master's degree programs ordinarily take the Graduate Record Exam and apply to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences by December of their third year. Admission is often quite competitive and the programs very rigorous. Most departments require eight graduate level half-courses with a minimum grade of B- for the master's degree. Joint AB/AM or AB/SM degree candidates often find that taking a combination of courses for both degrees in the third and fourth years by bracketing (see below) some courses toward the AM degree in the third as well as the fourth year results in the most manageable workload. This is especially true in fields such as Computer Science, which have intense, time-consuming requirements. The important issue in all cases is sound advising; a student must be certain that he or she can complete all undergraduate and graduate degree requirements by the end of the fourth year. (Any Advanced Standing student who is not accepted to, or withdraws from, the joint degree program and decides to remain in the College for the fourth year will need to rescind Advanced Standing by filling out the appropriate Rescission Form [pdf] and submitting it to the Registrar through his or her Allston Burr Resident Dean.)
Advanced Standing students enrolled in the AB/AM or SM program seek the permission of the Administrative Board to bracket graduate-level courses by filling out a Bracketing Form [pdf], and returning it to the Office of Academic Programs (University Hall, 1st Floor North), by the 5th Monday of the term in which the course is taken. Most students earn the majority of their AM credits in their fourth year at the College, but students are also permitted to bracket courses earlier in anticipation of the AM or SM degree. This requires prior permission from the Head Tutor or Director of Undergraduate Studies of the undergraduate concentration as well as the Chairman or designated adviser of the graduate program in which they wish to enroll. Students who bracket courses before they are admitted to the graduate program should understand that these courses will be unbracketed by the Registrar if they do not gain admission to the AB/AM or SM program. The student's course plan should be discussed with the Department Chair (or designated adviser) of the graduate program in which the student is seeking the advanced degree, as well as the Head Tutor of the undergraduate concentration.
The Department Chair (or designated adviser) of the graduate department in which the student is enrolled must certify, by signing the bracketing form, that the courses the student has chosen to bracket meet the department's approval for graduate credit toward the AM or SM degree. Ordinarily, graduate credit is granted for 100-level (and above) courses. Under no circumstances may any bracketed course be considered both for undergraduate and graduate degree credit. Bracketed courses do not affect the undergraduate record; they will not be calculated toward the AB degree or the undergraduate grade-point average, nor are they counted for departmental honors calculations. In order for bracketed courses to count toward a graduate degree, they must be taken for a letter grade or (300 level only) SAT/UNSAT. Courses taken for graduate credit may not be taken Pass/Fail. Note also that a passing grade in a graduate course is ordinarily a "B-" or higher.
A separate Bracketing Form is required each term in which courses are bracketed. These forms will then be presented to the Administrative Board for approval. With the approval of the graduate department, students may, if necessary, retroactively bracket courses they have taken in a previous term to count toward the graduate degree by petitioning the Administrative Board through their Allston Burr Resident Dean. Once bracketed, these courses will not count in any way toward the undergraduate degree.
The bracketing procedure is straightforward, but the decision to bracket courses requires careful thought about a student's broad academic program. Students should plan carefully to insure that they are able to meet the requirements for both degrees by the end of the 4th year.
A student who is enrolled in the AB/AM or AB/SM program is only required to satisfy the Core requirement in five areas. (See the Core Curriculum section of this guide.)
Even after having been admitted to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, a joint AB/AM or AB/SM student will register as an undergraduate. All courses bracketed for the master's degree will appear on the undergraduate transcript (although they will not count toward the undergraduate degree, honors calculations or grade point average); if a student completes all the requirements for and receives the AM or SM degree, the Graduate School will also carry a record of the student's master's degree program.
One final procedure in preparing for graduation with the master's degree is submitting a degree application, signed by the Chairman of the Graduate Department, to the Registrar's Office by April 14 of the year of graduation.
There are obvious advantages to pursuing a Master's degree as a fourth-year student. A joint degree candidate gains both course and financial credit toward a PhD at Harvard. Other graduate schools might also grant academic credit for this graduate-level work. Moreover, if a joint degree graduate wishes to teach at the secondary school level before beginning a PhD program, the master's degree could be useful in obtaining a position.
As a master's degree candidate, however, a student will be expected to carry a full load of eight graduate-level half-courses and meet any of the requirements set by the department for first-year graduate students (e.g., language proficiency). The AB/AM or AB/SM is an ambitious program and the department to which the student applies can only consider the applications of Advanced Standing students who have superior undergraduate records. Students should, therefore, consult with the department before preparing an application for graduate study or making plans to spend the fourth year in the joint degree program.
Although the demands on students in this program are extraordinary, the satisfaction among AB/AM or SM Advanced Standing students is quite high. For this small group of serious and focused scholars, the joint degree program offers the opportunity to engage in advanced study and research with graduate students while living with undergraduate friends. In many respects, the program fulfills the original concept and intent of the Harvard faculty in its founding of Advanced Standing at the College. Questions regarding the AB/AM or AB/SM Program, or other upper-class aspects of Advanced Standing, may be directed to Jim Mancall, Assistant Dean of the College, University Hall, Ground Floor 023, (617) 495-2030.
Applied Mathematics1 - contact Mrs. Sandra Godfrey, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Academic Office, 5-2833, Pierce Hall 212b, godfrey at deas
Applied Physics1 - contact Mrs. Sandra Godfrey, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Academic Office, 5-2833, Pierce Hall 212b, godfrey at deas
Astronomy & Astrophysics - contact Professor George Rybicki, 5-7452, 60 Garden St. Room 238, grybicki at cfa
Chemistry - contact Dr. Gregory Tucci, Science Center 114, 6-5566, tucci at fas
Comparative Literature - contact Kathleen George, Boylston Hall G-03, 5-2543, ksgeorge at fas
Computer Science1 - contact Mrs. Sandra Godfrey, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Academic Office, 5-2833, Pierce Hall 212b, godfrey at deas
Earth and Planetary Sciences - contact Chenoweth Moffatt, Hoffman Room 402, 4-9760, moffatt at eps
Engineering Sciences1 - contact Mrs. Sandra Godfrey, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Academic Office, 5-2833, Pierce Hall 212b, godfrey at deas
Germanic Languages and Literature - contact Charles Lutcavage, Barker Center 356, 6-4926, lutcavag at fas
History of Science - contact Michele Biscoe, Science Center 235A, 5-9978, biscoe at fas
Linguistics - contact Professor Gennaro Chierchia, Boylston 316, 5-8181, chierch at fas
Mathematics - contact Irene Minder, Science Center, 329, 5-2170, irene at math
Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations - contact Professor William Granara, 1430 Massachusetts Ave, 414, 6-9065, granara at fas
Physics - contact Professor Howard Georgi, 456 Jefferson Hall, 6-8293, georgi at physics, or Dr. David Morin, Lyman, 222, 5-3257, morin at physics
Regional Studies: East Asia - contact Ms. Margaret Lindsey, CGIS South Building, S105, 1730 Cambridge St., 5-3777, lindsey at fas
Regional Studies: Middle East - contact Ms. Susan Kahn, 38 Kirkland Street, 5-4055, skahn at fas
Statistics - contact Betsey Cogswell, Science Center 702, 5-5497, cogswell at stat